Burton Albion have the opportunity to push into a playoff position this weekend as they travel to Plough Lane to face AFC Wimbledon.
The hosts are suffering a difficult patch of form at the moment after losing their last four matches in all competitions, but a victory could see them leapfrog their opponents.
Match preview
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Wimbledon have struggled for form as of late, losing their previous four matches in all competitions and that is something that has seen them slip to 14th in the table.
Defending has been an issue for the club in the opening 10 games, with no team in the league having conceded more than them at the moment, as they have let in 18 goals.
This was on full display last weekend when they faced Rotherham United, being comfortably beaten 3-0 as a goal from Will Grigg and a brace by Michael Smith put the contest beyond them.
Mark Robinson last saw his team victorious on September 11 when they defeated Morecambe, but once again their defensive issues caused problems, as Wimbledon had to score four times to get the victory in a seven-goal thriller.
The Dons narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing 19th with just four points separating them and Rochdale, and after an improved start to this campaign, the squad will be keen to not slip any further down the table.
Burton Albion also had moments of worry when it came to dropping down to League Two last season, and they only finished three places above Wimbledon.
So far, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will be pleased with how his team have started, having only lost three times in the league, which is why they sit just outside of the playoff positions.
However, they have only won once in their last eight matches across all competitions, which will be a cause for concern, with a run of form now needed.
That victory did take place in their most recent performance, though, with goals from Thomas O'Connor and Daniel Jebbison helping them defeat Portsmouth 2-1.
Now Burton shall be hoping to kick on and earn consecutive victories to put pressure on the teams above them, and they will take confidence from the fact that Wimbledon were unable to defeat them last season.
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Team News
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Wimbledon are still dealing with the loss of Ollie Palmer, who is out injured at the moment due to a calf problem, with the forward expected to be unavailable until November.
Aaron Pressley has been leading the line for the Dons in his absence, and that is something that is expected to continue this weekend.
Robinson will be able to welcome Ayoub Assal back to the squad against Burton after he has served his suspension, which could see Jack Rudoni drop out.
Adedeji Oshilaja started for Burton in midweek after his return from injury and he is now expected to once again be a regular in the starting lineup.
Charlie Lakin was also back in the team against Portsmouth after the attacking midfielder served his suspension, while Jebbison will likely lead the line once more after finding the back of the net in that game.
AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:
Tzanev; Nightingale, Csoka, Heneghan; Lawrence, Marsh, Woodyard, Osew; Assal, Pressley, Chislett
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Garratt; Brayford, Bostwick, Shaughnessy, Hamer; Oshilaja, O'Connor; Lakin, Akins, Smith; Jebbison
We say: AFC Wimbledon 1-2 Burton Albion
Both teams have made major improvements in comparison to last season and that is something they shall be aiming to continue in order to stay away from another relegation battle.
However, Burton Albion should have enough to win this particular match, mainly due to AFC Wimbledon's poor defensive record at the moment.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Burton Albion win with a probability of 40.82%. A win for AFC Wimbledon had a probability of 32.54% and a draw had a probability of 26.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Burton Albion win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.72%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.59%) and 0-2 (7.27%). The likeliest AFC Wimbledon win was 1-0 (9.34%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.66%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.7% likelihood.
